West Marine raises $33,380 to support BlueFuture fund
West Marine announced that it raised $33,380 during its annual National Safe Boating Week fundraiser. From May 18 to 29, the manufacturers of West Marine life jackets donated $2 for every life jacket purchased to the company’s nonprofit BlueFuture Fund.
BlueFuture supports a broad range of nonprofit, community-based organizations dedicated to providing young people with access to the water — and with the education and equipment they need to safely spend time on and around the water. West Marine provides that support by awarding 25 unrestricted $1,500 grants twice a year.
“This fundraiser clearly resonated with West Marine customers, both in stores and on westmarine.com,” says Deb Radcliff, West Marine’s senior vice president of marketing. “Thanks to the support of our Associates, customers and friends around the country, we set a new National Safe Boating Week record for donations, providing nearly 90 percent of the funding we need for our fall BlueFuture grant cycle.”
Fundraisers like National Safe Boating Week are critical to the continued growth of the BlueFuture program, which West Marine hopes to expand so it can provide assistance to more nonprofit groups that are doing such important work in their communities. Other annual fundraisers include World Oceans Day in June and the Month of Giving in December. The fund also encourages year-round donations through its website www.westmarine.com/BlueFuture.
The BlueFuture Fund is a donor-advised fund through the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz. All donations are fully tax-deductible. For detailed information about the company’s BlueFuture initiative, visit www.westmarine.com/BlueFuture.
